Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Crusaders curse continues as loose forward stocks hit by pre-season injury ahead of Highlanders clash

By Sam Smith
Tom Sanders. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

In 2020, Crusaders loose forward Ethan Blackadder was the unlucky man. A shoulder injury suffered in the late stages of the prior season’s provincial competition meant the promising flanker was going to spend the formative part of the year on the sidelines.

ADVERTISEMENT

A year later, and Blackadder is fit and healthy – and has been named to start in the Crusaders’ opening pre-season match of the year.

Unfortunately, Tom Sanders, the man who caught many an eye during last year’s North v South clash, will be sidelined for the next eight weeks due to a head clash suffered in an intra-squad match last week.

Sanders, who was likely on few people’s radars for the majority of last year, put on a barnstorming performance in the South’s last minute victory and was even being touted as a potential All Blacks bolter.

The competition at the Crusaders is fierce, however, and Sanders will start the season on the backfoot – almost certainly being unavailable for the entirety of the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition.

In Friday’s pre-season fixture with the Highlanders, the Crusaders will call upon Blackadder, Tom Christie and Whetukamokamo Douglas in the first half and Anton Segner, Sione Havili and Brendan O’Connor in the second.

One-cap All Blacks loosie Cullen Grace is also on the books and will likely hold down a position once the regular season kicks off.

ADVERTISEMENT

None of the Crusaders’ long list of internationals from 2020 will feature in the pre-season hit-out but the Highlanders may still struggle, such is the depth at the disposal of the Super Rugby Aotearoa champions.

Newly re-signed lock Quinten Strange’s selection should be a happy sight for the New Zealand selectors, however, with the 24-year-old lock’s 2020 season marred by injury.

Leicester Fainga’anuku’s spot in the midfield for the second half could also be a sign of what’s to come this season – while former All Black Rene Ranger, an injury replacement for Braydon Ennor, has been named in the same position for the opening stanza. Former Highlander Josh McKay will start at fullback and will no doubt have intentions on proving to the Highlanders coaches that leaving the outside back out of their squad was a grave mistake.

Douglas and Luke Romano will take on the captaincy duties.

ADVERTISEMENT

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said the squad is looking forward to getting their 2021 campaign underway.

“Pre-season gives us an important indication of where we are at as a team, and allows us an opportunity to give a number of players a chance to prove themselves ahead of the start of Super Rugby Aotearoa in two weeks’ time.

“There is always a lot of anticipation leading in to the first game of the season, and the chance to represent our wider Crusaders region in front of a full crowd at Temuka Rugby Club is really exciting for our squad. As coaches, we’re really looking forward to seeing this group of players go about their work.”

The Farmlands Cup pre-season match kicks off 5:30pm NZT on Friday afternoon.

Crusaders team to play the Highlanders:

1st Half Team

1. Isileli Tuungafasi

2. Brodie McAlister

3. Michael Alaalatoa

4. Will Tucker

5. Quinten Strange

6. Ethan Blackadder

7. Tom Christie

8. Whetukamokamo Douglas (C)

9. Mitchell Drummond

10. Fergus Burke

11. Leicester Fainga’anuku

12. Isaiah Punivai

13. Rene Ranger

14. Chay Fihaki

15. Josh McKay

2nd Half Team

1. Tamaiti Williams

2. Nathan Vella

3. Oliver Jager

4. Luke Romano (C)

5. Zach Gallagher

6. Anton Segner

7. Sione Havili

8. Brendon O’Connor

9. Ereatara Enari

10. Brett Cameron

11. Tomas Aoake

12. Tim O’Malley

13. Leicester Fainga’anuku

14. Timoci Tavatavanawai

15. Chay Fihaki

RESERVES: Siua Maile, Fletcher Newell, Mahonri Ngakuru, Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

18 Go to comments
A
Adrian 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

18 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Why the All Blacks are serious about giving Sam Whitelock one last hurrah Why the All Blacks are serious about giving Sam Whitelock one last hurrah
Search